Chandrakona case: Calcutta HC grants Suvendu Adhikari protection from coercive police action

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted an interim protection from coercive police action to the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, in a case registered against him at Chandrakona Police Station in West Midnapore district. A single- judge bench of the Calcutta High Court granted interim protection to Adhikari. To recall, earlier this month, Adhikari's convoy was attacked at Chandrakona, allegedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress activists while he was returning to Kolkata from Purulia. Surprisingly, the police complaint was filed against Adhikari at the Chandrakona Police Station, accusing him of instigating tension in the area. Adhikari approached Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh seeking protection from coercive police action in the matter.

After a detailed hearing in the matter, Justice Ghosh's bench granted interim protection to Adhikari from coercive police action till January 29. At the same time, the single-bench also sought reports from the West Bengal and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) authorities about the attack on Adhikari's convoy on the night of January 10. On Wednesday, as the matter came up for hearing, Adhikari's counsel argued in the court that the police complaint was filed against his client to harass him and to divert attention from the main incident of the attack on Adhikari's convoy. Justice Ghosh's bench accepted the argument and granted the interim protection to the leader of the opposition. Last week, Adhikari filed a petition at a single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the alleged attack on his convoy at Chandrakona on the night of January 10. That petition was also filed at the bench of Justice Ghosh. The matter of the attack on the convoy of Adhikari had been taken quite seriously by the Union Home Ministry as well, with the latter seeking a detailed report into the matter. Adhikari's office had already forwarded five videos related to the attack on his convoy. Even Union Home Minister Amit Shah personally called up Adhikari and enquired about the attack on his convoy. During the 15-minute conversation with HM Shah, Adhikari described what exactly happened at Chandrakona